If integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s watching, then I would argue that intrepidity is taking a stand when everyone is watching, even when courage puts you at risk.
After stepping down from my position as communications director for Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) and spending time soul-searching and job hunting, I have some thoughts.
I probably should have resigned earlier, but loyalty has always been a big part of who I am. Do people believe that I had knowledge of the behavior that drove the allegations against him before the press made it public? I did not. I cannot help but wonder if I am tainted in a way that will make it difficult to find work in politics again. I hope not. I pray not.
In December 2022, I accepted a job as communications director for then-Rep-elect George Santos. I was attracted to his story of a moderate gay Republican winning over a blue district in New York. I worked for the popular centrist Gov. Charlie Baker (R- Mass.) and was looking to apply those experiences to a promising up-and-comer on Capitol Hill.
The political gods would have other ideas (and a sense of humor). Less than two weeks later, the New York Times exposed the congressman-elect’s many outrageous deceptions and inadvertently turned me into a highly visible — and highly ridiculed — Hill communications staffer.
I took on the thankless job (and arguably one of the toughest in D.C.) and could be seen walking the halls of Congress with Santos (perhaps you’ve seen my resting b*** face), along with a handful of reporters following both mine and Santos’s every move. I am also the same woman who made what I like to call a “Santos exit” and resigned in public fashion five months later when I could no longer tolerate his lack of honor, office dysfunction and unmanageable chaotic behavior. At the end of the day, I was willing to sacrifice a paycheck to walk away with my integrity.
Professionally, I always strived to join the ranks of great conservative political communicators like Peggy Noonan, Ari Fleischer, Mari Will and Karen Hughes. Somewhere along the way, though, fortune made a pit stop in my direction and made me rely on a different group of political role models: those who aimed to do the right thing, remaining true to their principles and never showing fear when called into action.
It is rare for staffers to speak openly about who we are and what we do on Capitol Hill. We stepped into these roles, not because we binge-watched “The West Wing” (even though Lionel Tribbey is my spirit animal). We do it because we believe in the importance of public service and note that we as staffers also take an oath “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That is why my five-month tenure with a member of Congress who has been indicted on 13 federal counts of money laundering and wire fraud will never define my 15-plus years in the political arena.
I had to do my small part to try to uphold the integrity of the congressional system by guiding a scandal-stricken freshman politician into a functioning member of Congress who could serve the people with the respect and, yes, integrity, they deserve. My intentions during this unprecedented crisis were to put that congressional seat — and our very democratic system — on a path to regain the trust of Santos’s colleagues, party and most importantly, his constituents.
I have held previous communications jobs that were a baptism by fire. With apologies to Robert Oppenheimer, this was a baptism by atomic bomb. I had to handle an unprecedented crisis that made the typical political or corporate office look like a day at the beach. On the bright side, I learned to navigate through murky water while putting out day-to-day press releases, drafting talking points and messaging on upcoming legislation.
As the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Success is measured by the staff you keep. Rather than taking advice from the adult in the room to do an apology tour, sit down for a national media interview with a major network or focus on constituent issues, George chose to surround himself with echo chambers who possessed more attitude than experience. Preventing a member of Congress from taking constituent meetings because they were “too liberal” (as I’ve seen happen more than once) confirms a lack of professionalism and has no business in the halls of Congress.
Years from now, George Santos will go down in history as one of the most dishonorable members of Congress. Political science classes will discuss his rise to campaign victory and his immediate fall from grace.
For now, he will continue to serve in Congress knowing that colleagues on both sides of the aisle are counting the days until he departs Capitol Hill. While he may wish to make millions in his post-political life, Netflix will likely pass on giving Santos a platform. Hollywood giants like Ryan Murphy are more likely to consider George Santos for the next “American Crime Story.”
The next chapter of my career has yet to be written. But I now have the kind of crisis communications skills and experiences you could never learn in a classroom. More than that, though, I still have my integrity. That was one thing the most duplicitous politician in America could not steal from me.
Naysa Woomer is the former director of communications for Rep. George Santos, NY-03.